Sierra Nevada is a pioneer in the craft brewing world, and it's fitting that the year they celebrate its 30th anniversary that they have one of its best years ever. Founder Ken Grossman paired with luminaries of the beer world to brew four different, and excellent, 30th Anniversary collaboration ales. Those beers were all great, as was the Tumbler Harvest Brown Ale, which could be the best brown ale brewed in the U.S.

2. Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, N.Y.

Brewery Ommegang was a close second to Sierra Nevada. They seemed to release a new beer every other month, and each one was better than the last. The BPA (Belgian Pale Ale), the Cup O Kindness and Tripel Perfection (Belgian-style Tripel) are all fantastic beers, and the Zuur was one of the best beers of the year. I can't wait to see what they do in 2011.

3. Cisco Brewers, Nantucket, Mass.

Cisco has always been a solid brewery, but this year they really took advantage of having both a winery and distillery on site by creating the Wood series of beers, ales aged in a varierty of barrels. Cherry Woods and Monomoy Kriek, both cherry beers, are two of the best fruit beers to ever come out of Massachusetts.

4. Dogfish Head Craft Brewers, Rehoboth Beach, Del.

Dogfish Head is just one of those breweries that always come through -- every year they seem to brew some of the most unusual, but tasty, brews on the market, and this year was no different. Bitches Brew is a stout mixed with an African beer, Namaste is a Belgian-style witbier brewed with lemongrass and Poppa Skull, a Belgian-style strong ale brewed with cardomom and aged in oak barrels, are all slightly odd brews, but so good. And don't forget My Antonia, the imperial pilsner, which is just a great beer.

5. Wormtown Brewing Company, Worcester, Mass.

When a new brewery starts up, they usually need a little time to get their legs underneath them. Not Wormtown, which debuted in 2010, and released more than 20 beers in their first year, including Sweet Tat's Breakfast Stout, MassWhole (a beer brewed with all Massachusetts ingredients), and F-U Double IPA. They also aged several beers in used Samuel Adams Utopias barrels, all of which that were enjoyable.

6. Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project, Cambridge, Mass.

I absolutely love almost everything Pretty Things brews. You could do a lot worse than going to the store and picking up bottles of Field Mouse's Farewell, Fluffy White Rabbits or Our Finest Regards. The "Once Upon a Time" series, where Pretty Things brews a beer based on a historical recipe also resulted in two different than expected beers -- the Febuary 27th, 1832 and November 15th, 1901.

7. Stone Brewing Company, Escondido, Calif.

Lukcy Basartd Ale was named the 2010 Beer Nut Beer of the Year, but stone was far from a one trick pony this year. Stone partnered with several different breweries to produce some exceptional collaboration ales: the Saison du BUFF (with Victory and Dogfish Head), San Diego County Session Ale (Ballast Point and homebrewer Kelsey McNair) and El Camino (Un)Real Black Ale (Firestone Walker and 21st Amendment) all show what great brewing minds can do when they work together.

8. Boston Beer Company, Boston

Boston Beer Company, also known as Samuel Adams, is another Massachusetts brewery that had a stellar year. The Infinium (collaboration with German brewery Weihenstephan) is the most notable, but the Latitude 48 (IPA) and the Noble Pils (pilsner), are both great, easy drinking beers, the kind you really want in your fridge at all times.

9. New England Brewing Company, Woodbridge, Conn.

New England Brewing Company has some of the best labels in the brewing world, but labels mean nothing if the beer inside the bottle (or in this case, cans) is nothing but average. New England Brewing brewed two new beers this year that are nowhere near average - the Ghandi-Bot Double IPA and 668 The Neighbor of the Beast. The Ghandi-Bot, in particular, is one of the best double IPAs brewed in New England.

10. Clown Shoes, Ipswich, Mass.

Full disclosure: Clown Shoes' owner Gregg Berman is a weekly guest blogger for the Beer Nut, but that has nothing to do with this rating. I have not had any Clown Shoes beers since he started writing for the Beer Nut. Clementine, a witbier, was named the best witbier in a blind tasting I conducted earlier this year, and Eagle Claw Fist, an 8 percent percent alcohol by volume red ale, are wonderfully brewed beers. The Pecan Pie Porter is a dessert by itself.